Introducing theIowa Core

Providing Challenging and Meaningful Learning for Success in the 21st Century

Context for Change

What is the Iowa Core?

A curriculum model that assists schools in delivering education for the 21st Century.

Student-based approach that supports high expectations for all K-12 students.

Education that helps students succeed in today’s technology rich, global economy.

The Iowa Core is also . . .

Students going beyond superficial knowledge and into deeper conceptual and procedural knowledge

Students engaging in interesting, robust, and relevant learning experiences

The Purpose of the Iowa Core

The purpose of the Iowa Core Curriculum is to “raise student expectations and change teaching behaviors to impact student achievement.”

-Iowa Core Curriculum: An Overview (2008). Iowa Department of Education.

The Vision for the Iowa Core

The vision is to ensure the success of every student. It prepares students for a world of work and life-long learning.

-Iowa Core Curriculum: An Overview (2008). Iowa

Department of Education.

How Is This Going to Benefit Students? Ensure students understand big ideas Moves students beyond superficial

knowledge into deeper understanding of concepts

Enhances student engagement by involving students in interesting and relevant learning experiences

How Is This Going to Benefit Students? Provides more rigorous learning

opportunities Promotes the use of formative assessment Promotes clear communication with parents

on what students know and are able to do Promotes learning through application of

knowledge

Why Use the Iowa Core?

It provides direction about essential content, authentic instruction and assessment for core areas of literacy, mathematics, science and social studies, with an emphasis on 21st century skills

It will increase student achievement in Iowa It is the law

IC Offers Iowa Students

Access to a challenging and meaningful curriculum that prepares them for success in postsecondary education and the global economy.

Five Areas of Implementation

Science Social Studies 21st Century Skills Literacy – Common

Core Math – Common

Core

Science Incorporates Science as Inquiry, Physical,

Earth and Space, and Life Sciences Science and Technology Science and Personal and Social

Perspectives History and Nature of Science

Goal: To help students become more scientifically literate.

Social Studies Incorporates Behavioral Science, Economics,

Geography, History and Political Science/Civic Literacy

Integrates study of social sciences and humanities

Promotes civic competence

Goal: To enable students to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an

interdependent world.

21st Century Skills

Employability Skills Financial Literacy Health Literacy Technology Literacy Civic Literacy

Goal: To develop learning and innovation; communication, information, and technology; and, life and career skills, to not only “fit into the future” (Meier, 2008) but to shape it.

What about the Common Core?

Released in June 2010 after development and feedback

Internationally benchmarked Aligned with college and work expectations Adopted by Iowa in summer of 2010 Replace Iowa Core literacy and math

essential concepts and skill sets

Literacy Incorporates reading, writing, language,

speaking, and listening Enables students to learn and communicate

clearly what they know Specifically addresses literacy in other

content areas Provides the means for making connections

between subjects

Goal: For students to be able to apply these skills to all areas of their every

day thinking and life.

Math Utilize problem solving Reason abstractly and quantitatively Construct arguments and critique reasoning Model with mathematics Use tools strategically Communicate precisely Use mathematical structure and patterns

Goal: To develop a deep understanding of mathematics which can be applied to all aspects of the student’s world.

Universal Constructs

Essential for 21st Century Success To be taught in conjunction with

standards/essential conceptsCritical ThinkingComplex CommunicationCreativityCollaborationFlexibility and Adaptability

IC Offers Iowa Educators Provides a tool for educators and

administrators to assure essential subject matter is taught and essential concepts and skill sets for content areas of literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and 21st century skills are learned.

Educates teachers in Characteristics of Effective Instruction. Iowa Core revolves around teachers enhancing their current practices in the classroom.

Teaching for Understanding

Leading students to engage in thought provoking activities (connecting, generalizing, analyzing, and applying).

Making connections between prior and new knowledge.

Making learning a long-term thinking-centered process.

Supporting learning using concrete or real-life examples.

Teacher for Learning Differences

Providing access to the general education curriculum to ALL students.

Utilizing a variety of methods to teach desired concepts and skills.

Meeting the needs of individual students through differentiated instruction.

Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum

Rigorous Curriculum is complex, inviting, and personally challenging.

Relevant Curriculum requires students to solve complex real-world problems.

Challenging content, authentic work, application of knowledge, skills and communication

Student-Centered Classrooms

Intentionally designed for collaboration

Encourage students to reflect on their own thinking and learning

Centered on meaningful performances in real-world contexts

Assessment For Learning

Formative Assessment

Providing students with clear learning targets

Providing regular descriptive feedbackAbility to self-assess and set goalsAdjusting teaching based on assessments

to improve students’ achievement

Role of Parents and Community Leaders

Educators, parents and community leaders working toward a common goal of increasing student achievement and preparing students for the 21st century.

Timeline

Signed into law by Governor Culver in Spring, 2008

Implemented in Iowa high schools by July, 2012

Implemented in Iowa elementary and middle schools by July, 2014

Accountability

Implementation deadlines established by law

Implementation plan submitted to the state

Progress monitored by school visits

Implementation Process

Each school district in Iowa was required to develop a written plan to describe their implementation of the Iowa Core Curriculum.

An Iowa Core Leadership Team is in the process of revising the plan and creating action plans for implementation.

The plan encompasses all grades (K-12).

Iowa Core Curriculum Outcomes

There are six outcomes in the Implementation Plan, that when fully implemented will:

integrate leadership, schools, and community.

align a system of content, instruction, and assessment.

Iowa Core Curriculum Outcomes

LeadershipOutcome 1: School leaders build and sustain system capacity to implement the Iowa Core Curriculum.

CommunityOutcome 2: Community members and other supporting agencies work together to support the implementation fo the Iowa Core Curriculum.

SchoolsOutcome 3: A continuous improvement process to improve teaching and learning is used at the district and school level.

Iowa Core Curriculum Outcomes

Content – Instruction - Assessment Outcome 4:

District leaders and educators use data to increase the degree of alignment of each and every student’s curriculum.

Outcome 5:Educators engage in professional development focused on implementing Characteristics of Effective Instruction.

Outcome 6:Educators implement effective instructional practices to ensure high levels of learning.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Other Resources Iowa Department of Education

http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=674&Itemid=1023

Common Core Website http://www.corestandards.org/ Heartland AEA Moodle

http://205.221.40.124/moodle/course/category.php?id=36 Waukee Wiki

http://waukeeiowacore.pbworks.com/w/page/36826565/Iowa%20Core

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy